All region is this saturday, how to deal with stage fright.

[adam0408]

All right, what I was writing was way too long for one post. I will now go into some of the mental elements of perf. anxiety. If you have control of your mind, you will have control over a lot of the physical problems that you will encounter.

First of all, there is what is called self-talk. A lot of people have problems with this because they think it borders on witchcraft and mysticism, and lying to oneself. Think about it this way: performers do it all the time in a negative way. You say to yourself, "I am going to screw up so bad..." "I am horrible in front of people," "I can't do this," and any number of other things that an active mind can dream up. One cannot simply dismiss these thoughts and expect to merrily go on with a successful performance. The negative thoughts have to be replaced with something, or they will come back. A mind needs entertainment or else it will entertain itself. (an idea from lessons with Kumi) So instead say things to yourself like "I am going to play the best that I can," "I have prepared this material and I am ready. I will deal with mistakes when they happen and move on." The important thing to remember is to stay positive and realistic. Don't expect yourself to play perfectly because then you will no doubt be disappointed.

Mental rehearsal is also an interesting concept. Find somewhere quiet and secluded, where you won't fall asleep and run through your performance in your head. Do it from start to finish, imagining yourself performing the best that you ever have. If you run into mistakes or negative thoughts, rewind your mental video and go through it again. Do this often, during the month leading up to your performance, when you feel that your music is almost ready to go. What this does is effectively fool the subconscious into recognizing only great performances, so you go into the actual performance expecting a great experience. People tend to forget that what we expect from ourselves is often what we get.

This is just a smattering of the useful information I have gleaned from my research. If anyone wants further info, pm me and we can discuss it.

[djwesp]

Cool. I was there to. I was the only tuba player from Gentry. Did you make it?

Isn't Gentry Region 1?


If so, you are sitting in the same section as a ugly little man with the same last name as me.


Give him a very hard time. Call him TP, he hates that.

[adam0408]

two books you should read if you want to address this sometimes crippling problem further:

My lessons with Kumi: How I learned to perform with confidence in life and work. By Michael Colgrass

This book has a broader focus (more life-altering, and not specific to music performance) and has a leaning toward less "practical" approaches to dealing with anxiety. This book focuses heavily on self-talk and re-training the mind. I really liked this book and it made me look at certain things in my life differently. It does get a little corny and borders on some craziness at the end, but it contains enough fantastic information to overlook this slight problem

Performance Success
By Don Greene

This book is much more practical in nature and deals more with things specific to music performance. It contains much of the same ideas as lessons with Kumi, but they are presented in a completely different format. Mr. Greene's methods are based heavily on a process called centering, a breathing and concentration exercise. This book does not delve nearly as deeply into the psychology of anxiety, and uses a much more "nuts and bolts" approach to the subject.

[Todd S. Malicoate]

Bah, humbug...

Many performers who experience crippling nerves or anxiety just prior to a performance experience them because they are not sufficiently prepared to perform. We have all heard the adage "don't practice until you can play it, practice until you can't miss it," but so few of us really do this.

I do believe some folks have a physical/emotional/mental problem relating to nerves and performing...those folks should probably reconsider their career choice.

But I suspect most folks who THINK they have a physical/emotional/mental problem relating to nerves and performing have never really prepared themselves to the point that they "can't miss it." Bananas, turkey sandwiches, and the "flavor of the month" performance anxiety magic elixir are no substitute for adequate preparation.

[adam0408]

Bah, humbug...

Many performers who experience crippling nerves or anxiety just prior to a performance experience them because they are not sufficiently prepared to perform. We have all heard the adage "don't practice until you can play it, practice until you can't miss it," but so few of us really do this.

I do believe some folks have a physical/emotional/mental problem relating to nerves and performing...those folks should probably reconsider their career choice.

But I suspect most folks who THINK they have a physical/emotional/mental problem relating to nerves and performing have never really prepared themselves to the point that they "can't miss it." Bananas, turkey sandwiches, and the "flavor of the month" performance anxiety magic elixir are no substitute for adequate preparation.

Clearly you have never had a problem with anxiety. It is however, VERY REAL. This isn't something that is due to inadequate preparation.

I speak from personal experience. While I may not be as prepared as I should be from time to time, I can cite several times in performance where I flubbed solos for no other reason than I was nervous. For instance, there was a tuba solo in my last concert with the Wind ensemble that I played. It went up to the d above middle c at the end, and was fortissimo. I played that solo countless times before the concert and NEVER chipped that note in rehearsal. Come concert time, I totally miffed the attack. I can honestly say I was over-prepared for the solo. I had it pretty much memorized and had played it clean about ten clicks faster than the tempo we performed it at. That mistake was clearly because of anxiety.

Sometimes I get nervous, sometimes I don't. Preparation is certainly a huge part of not getting nervous, but sometimes it just isn't enough. Anxiety sometimes sneaks up on you when you least expect it.

Maybe people who THINK they don't have a problem with performance anxiety have never been in a high stress performance or audition situation.

[Todd S. Malicoate]

Clearly you have never had a problem with anxiety.

Oh, I've had my rounds with performance anxiety, particularly as an undergraduate performance student...I used to get very nervous before competitions, auditions, and recitals. I just finally noticed that when I was more prepared I was less nervous.

It is however, VERY REAL.

I don't know why you got the impression that I think anxiety isn't real...I took great care to use words like "most" and "many," and I acknowledged that some performers have a serious problem with it...I still question why they would wish to be performers, in that case. I'm deathly afraid of heights, so why would I choose to paint skyscapers on a scaffold?

This isn't something that is due to inadequate preparation.

In many (notice...not "all") cases, it is. "Nerves" is also used too much as a scapegoat...I speak from personal experience, as well. So many performers simply do not understand how to completely prepare for a performance.

I speak from personal experience. While I may not be as prepared as I should be from time to time, I can cite several times in performance where I flubbed solos for no other reason than I was nervous. For instance, there was a tuba solo in my last concert with the Wind ensemble that I played. It went up to the d above middle c at the end, and was fortissimo. I played that solo countless times before the concert and NEVER chipped that note in rehearsal. Come concert time, I totally miffed the attack. I can honestly say I was over-prepared for the solo. I had it pretty much memorized and had played it clean about ten clicks faster than the tempo we performed it at. That mistake was clearly because of anxiety.

Everyone miffs an attack from time to time...why are you so quick to blame a mistake on nerves if you were over-prepared (whatever that means)?

Sometimes I get nervous, sometimes I don't. Preparation is certainly a huge part of not getting nervous, but sometimes it just isn't enough. Anxiety sometimes sneaks up on you when you least expect it.

I can only speak for myself, but anxiety never "sneaks up" on me when I'm thoroughly prepared. It does, however, always rear its ugly head when I'm not.

Maybe people who THINK they don't have a problem with performance anxiety have never been in a high stress performance or audition situation.

I'm not sure what you mean by this...lots of people think they don't have such a problem...in fact, many excellent players I know live for and relish high-stress performances, auditions, competitions, etc. They manage to play their best because they are prepared and enjoy performing.

Adam, I don't wish to argue that your personal experiences with anxiety aren't valid...they most certainly are. I hope you have success with the "anti-anxiety" methods you described earlier, especially if your goal is to be a performer. The only reason I have a horse in this race is because I see the difference in prepared and unprepared performers and a direct relationship to their nervousness. I see various methods trotted out, especially around convention times, on controlling performance anxiety...I spent a ton of time, money, and effort on the Alexander Technique (anyone remember that one?) when I could have been better served learning to practice in a productive way towards true preparation.

I accompany (on piano) several studios (30-40 players a semester) at the local university. Some players are extremely talented, winning competitions and performing graduate-level literature as undergraduates...others are just getting by, practicing just enough to struggle through a piece. Without exception, the players putting in the real work to completely prepare are more confident. Even when mistakes are made, they recover faster and easier than their less-prepared colleagues.

The students who wait until the last minute, don't completely memorize music when they know they will be required to, and just simply don't prepare adequately (or, more likely, don't KNOW how to prepare) are the ones who fall short...and they show anxiety in their performances. They blame "nerves" but never seem to realize that their own lack of preparation starts a vicious downhill snowball of mistakes...which feeds the nervousness...which creates more mistakes due to the lack of muscle memory....and so on.

The amazing part? All of the most prepared students are from the same studio (trombones)...they have a teacher who insists on preparation and shows them how to prepare, instead of just telling them to "go practice."

[MaryAnn]

How about a definition/explanation of "proper preparation?" There isn't much point in talking about a particular studio's students being able to perform without talking about what the preparation is that allows them to do that. It seems that a person who is asking for help on nerves would be better served by presenting what can help, instead of getting into a discussion of who should and should not try to perform. In my experience with playing the horn, the major component of being able to perform had to do with concentration and being in the moment, without allowing myself to get distracted by the audience or stray thoughts; this took some time to develop, but turned out to be extremely useful in other areas of my life. I submit that learning this very focused concentration is a foundation of successful performing, and it's a separate skill from being able to physically play the piece.

MA

[Todd S. Malicoate]

How about  a definition/explanation of "proper preparation?" There isn't much point in talking about a particular studio's students being able to perform without talking about what the preparation is that allows them to do that.

Another good point from MA...I've spent a great deal of bandwidth harping on "proper preparation" but haven't really said what I think that is.

First and foremost, the concept of not practicing mistakes is critical...I always start working on technical passages as slowly as needed to play them absolutely perfectly (notes and rhythms, anyway), even if it's quarter note = 30 or whatever.

Then I concentrate on getting the music into what I call "muscle memory"...I've heard it called other things like "getting a lick into your chops," but the concept is the same. I start at that slowest tempo, and move up one click at a time until performance tempo is reached...an important part of my routine is not allowing myself to advance the tempo until I've played the notes and rhythms without mistake. This method has the side benefit of making you go through a tremendous amount of repetitions of the passage (like weight training reps?)...very helpful for memorization as well.

I've found this gradual increase of tempo method works especially well for me on piano (figures, you don't get tired as quickly), but is also valuable for tuba practicing. The down side is it requires a large amount of time to pull it off, but for me the benefits of getting the music where it's second nature is worth it.

And, as a person who used to suffer from performance anxiety, I can say without a doubt that the method makes a huge difference in my performance confidence and lack of "nerves"...that's the point I was trying to make by linking nervousness with preparation.